Waking Up Next to You
by BrunetteWeasley13
Summary: A sweet Lily/James ficlet. A glimpse at how James finally, successfully asked her on a date.


Authors Note: Hello all. This is a ficlet I wrote probably about three years ago, but I just came across it in one of my email folders. It's not much, but I though what the heck? It's already finished. I might as well share it with you.

Waking Up Next to You

James slowly drifted out of sleep. Even though the curtains around his four poster bed were drawn, light still seeped through the fabric. He could tell that it must be about midmorning. He let his eyes open slowly and adjust to the new light. When his eyes opened, memories of the previous night came back full force.

Her tiny hands in his hair… His mouth on her collar bone causing her to whimper… Her thin, long legs wrapping around his waist…

He gazed into the face of the girl he had wanted for so long. His friends had told him she was unattainable even for him, but he knew. He always knew she would come around eventually. He had faith. He didn't know where his certainty came from, but he just knew they were meant to be together. And it had finally happened.

James hadn't asked Lily out in over a year. He had of course continued to flirt with her shamelessly. (Or if you asked Lily she might use the verb torment, but that was beside the point.) After she had finally flipped out on him after their O.W.L.S. in fifth year, he decided she needed some time to cool off. Of course, she had been very sexy when she was angry. Anyways, he had calmed down a bit in the last year as much as he hated to admit it. He was still a Marauder and still loved a good laugh obviously. However, being both Quidditch Captain and Head Boy required him to take some responsibility. He could tell Lily was warming up to him. She had finally started talking to him without him talking to her first. She even sat with him at dinner sometimes. At first it was under the guise of setting up prefect rounds, but one could only discuss head duties so much after all. Finally, he made his move.

James knew that this time if she still turned him down he would have to admit defeat. He and Lily were making their late night head rounds. There was a Hogsmeade trip the next day and something told him that the time was right.

"Well, looks like the castle is quite tonight. We can head back to the dorms now. You know at first I thought that Dumbledore had really lost it making you Head Boy, but I see now it was a stroke of genius."

"Of course it was, but what makes you say that now?" James asked grinning.

"The halls are empty. On a Friday night, the halls are empty. And you want to know why?"

"Because the upstanding youth of Hogwarts…" James began, but Lily's laugh cut him off.

"No, because you are Head Boy. The only people who would be out at this hour are you and your friends, but with you being in charge now, everything's as it should be. See? A stroke of genius." Lily smiled.

"Hmmm I guess I see your point, but I don't see why you needed to attack my character."

"Attack your character? Please! You love your reputation as a trouble maker. Besides that's why people like you so much.."

"Wait, did I hear you correctly. Did Lily Evans just admit that people can actually like troublemakers?"

"Oh you know what I mean."

They continued on in comfortable silence. Their conversation only reinforced James's idea that the time was right to ask Lily out… one last time.

"Lily?" he began.

"Yes, James?"

"So the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow, would you like to go with me?"

Lily stopped walking and turned to consider James. She wasn't yelling at him. In fact, she seemed to be smiling, a good sign.

"Yes, that would be nice," she answered.

Now, she was lying on her stomach with her face tuned toward him. The bed sheets had shifted down to her waist leaving the bare expanse of her back exposed. He studied her beautiful face. Her cute little nose, sprinkled with a light dusting of freckles that you could only see if you were close enough or had studied her face enough, which he most certainly had. It was odd, but even though his attention span for most subjects was extremely short, when he was studying her, it was surprisingly long. He could look at her for hours or days even without noticing the time passing. Her dark, red hair was splayed wildly on the pillow behind her. She usually wouldn't allow her hair to become so wild. He liked her like this. He didn't realize that she could be any more beautiful, but seeing her in this vulnerable state proved otherwise. In sleep, the worry lines that often creased her forehead where smoothed out. Her mouth, often set in a scowl when she was dealing with him, was relaxed and slightly open. Her eyes were still closed as she continued to sleep, but James new that if Lily opened her eyes he would be met with the most dazzling shade of green. He couldn't believe that their first date had turned out so well, better than he had ever expected. They had just done the usual stuff, visited the shops and stopped at the Three Broomsticks for butterbeers. They had actually talked though. They had talked a lot. After that day, they were inseparable. They had been dating steadily for three months now.

James heard Sirius noisily get out of bed. He glanced at Lily to see that she was still sleeping soundly. He pulled the sheets up around her and then he slipped out of bed.

"Hey, Padfoot," James hissed. "Could you keep it down?"

"Why does it matter? You're awake now and so is Remus." Sirius motioned to Remus who was sitting cross-legged reading on his already made bed.

"Yeah, well, everyone's not awake." At that moment Peter snored, rather loudly.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. "Aww it's just Pete. He needs to get his lazy arse up anyway." Sirius flung the shoe, he had started to put on at Peter's bed. It hit him in the head and he awoke with a snort.

"I wasn't talking about Wormtail," James said raising his eyebrows at his friend.

Sirius gasped.

"Wait you mean!?" he whispered, stunned, pointing at James bed.

James grinned and nodded slowly.

Sirius gasped again.

At this, Remus looked up interested, too.

"I don't believe you," Sirius accused.

"What!? Then come look?" James motioned Sirius to his bed. Remus came over as well and even Peter lugged himself across the room.

When they had gathered around his bed and James had successfully hushed them all, he pulled back his curtain slightly and let them peek in.

Lily was still asleep with the covers now pulled tightly around her, but it was still evident from her bare shoulders that she wasn't wearing anything but the sheet. She made a soft noise, and James quickly pulled the curtain shut. Having his friends creeping on her when she woke up after spending her first night in his bed what not what he needed.

Sirius clapped James on the back. "So are you going to tell us all about it? All the sordid details?"

"Of course not," James hissed.

"Really?" Sirius said aghast. "For every other girl you've ever even put your grimy lips on, we had to hear all the details, usually multiple time, and you finally bed the girl you've been moping over for years, and we don't get a single crumb." Sirius first looked to Peter who nodded in support. Remus just smiled and shook his head knowingly.

"Lily's different, Sirius," James said rubbing the back of his neck.

Before Sirius could protest, a voice came from behind the bed curtains.

"James?"

All of the boys' eyes widened. James began pushing them to the door. Thankfully, Sirius exited quickly, but not without a lecherous wink. Peter tried to turn back for his shoes, but Remus grabbed him by the arm. "You can get them later," Remus whispered as he pulled the door closed behind them, leaving James and Lily alone in the boys' dorm.

James pulled back his bed curtains. Lily sat up with the sheet still around her and yawned.

"Morning, Love," James said, placing a kiss on her nose.

"Good morning," she replied with a shy smile. "So, you've been moping over me for years?"

James blushed slightly, a rare sight. "Come off it. You already knew that."

"I suppose I did," she admitted giggling. "So are they gone now?"

"Yes," James replied. "Do you want to go get some breakfast?"

"No, I think there is something else I want more than breakfast right now."

"What's that?" James asked perplexed. Lily's face broke into a wide grin at Jame's look of confusion.

"For you to come back to bed," she answered, letting the sheet drop to her waist.

James happily complied.


End file.
